It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s Mid-summer Day on Tuesday, and it’s just the time to be drinking a really refreshing iced tea.
Unfortunately, most of the iced tea drunk in Hong Kong is produced by certain international companies that offer a syrupy, over-flavoured beverage that bares little resemblance to tea. So we decided to share some of our favourite "cool" ideas for this refreshing summer beverage.
There are many fans of our H-TEA-O Iced Lemon Tea and it is really easy to make but there is a secret…we don’t use tea! Our Iced Lemon Tea is made with Organic Honeybush Red which gives it a natural honey sweetness, no tannin bitterness and it doesn’t get cloudy. To make a refreshing pitcher, simply add two teaspoons of Organic Honeybush Red per cup of boiling water and steep for at least five minutes. Once tea is ready, strain onto an equal amount of ice and garnish with mint or lemon.
For a tropical variation, try H-TEA-O English Summer black tea and garnish with melon balls and pineapple.
Our Pink Grapefruit, Apple Spice and Blackcurrant Cassis iced teas all contain fruit juice. We have a recipe for a wonderful Citrus Iced Tea with fruit juice that you can make at home. Add 250ml of boiling water to 2 teaspoons of Honeybush Red, infuse for five minutes, strain and chill in the fridge. Then add 100ml of fresh orange juice, 40ml lime juice and syrup to taste. Take a glass, rub the rim with lime and dip in a saucer of white sugar to frost. Pour the chilled tea onto about 8 cubes of ice and garnish with a slice of lemon. Wonderful!
Another surefire hit is Green Tea Margarita, an interesting variation on the classic Margarita. Simply combine chilled Mount E’Mei Green Tea, lemon juice, sugar and Tequila and pour into a salt or sugar-rimmed glass. Unfortunately we can’t sell this but you can try it at home!